2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bjelke
A surname derived from a Scandinavian word meaning "birch tree."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Bjelke. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bjelke surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Bjelke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bjelke, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bjelke
The surname Bjelke originates from Norway, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. Derived from the Old Norse word "bjalki," meaning a beam or ledge, it was initially used as a topographic name for someone who lived near a prominent ridge or cliff.
In the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various Norwegian records and manuscripts, including the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of historical documents from the medieval period. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Tore Bjelke, a landowner and chieftain who lived in Western Norway around 1250.
As the name spread across Norway, it underwent some spelling variations, such as Bjelke, Bjelka, and Bjelker. These variations often reflected regional dialect differences or scribal errors in historical records. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include:
1. Arne Bjelke (1579-1651), a Norwegian military officer and landowner who fought in the Kalmar War between Denmark-Norway and Sweden.
2. Peder Bjelke (1615-1675), a Norwegian nobleman and landowner who served as the Governor of Akershus Castle and Fortress in Oslo.
3. Jens Bjelke (1790-1858), a Norwegian farmer and politician who was a member of the Storting, the Norwegian parliament.
4. Halvor Bjelke (1811-1888), a Norwegian farmer and local politician who played a prominent role in the development of his community.
5. Kristian Bjelke (1864-1938), a Norwegian engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in the field of hydroelectric power generation.
While the Bjelke surname is relatively uncommon outside of Norway, it has been carried by Norwegian immigrants to other parts of the world, particularly North America and Australia. Some places in Norway, such as the village of Bjelkerud in Viken county, may have derived their names from this topographic surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bjelke
Among Census respondents with the surname Bjelke, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bjelke bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bjelke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 90
- Two or more races5.8% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 4
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bjelke
Bjelke appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,922 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 413 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,922 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 413 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bjelke surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #153,769 | #154,182 | -0.3% |
| Count | 106 | 103 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bjelke bearers went from 106 to 103 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 413 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #154,182.
FAQ
Bjelke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bjelke?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Bjelke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Bjelke?
Bjelke ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Bjelke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bjelke.
Has Bjelke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bjelke went from 106 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Bjelke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bjelke, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (3.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bjelke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bjelke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Two or More Races (5.8%), Hispanic (3.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bjelke (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bjelke mean?
A surname derived from a Scandinavian word meaning "birch tree." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bjelke (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Bjelke?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Bjelke is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.